The 2025 Buick Enclave ST AWD: A Premium Illusion in a Competitive Landscape
As someone who has navigated the evolving landscape of automotive excellence for over a decade, scrutinizing every nuance from concept to curb, few segments demand as much critical evaluation as the mid-size premium SUV. It’s a battleground where practicality, luxury aspirations, technology, and value collide, often resulting in either triumph or disappointment. Buick, with its storied heritage and recent efforts to redefine its “premium” identity, has positioned the 2025 Enclave as a key player in this arena. Specifically, the Enclave ST AWD, a mid-tier offering, landed in my hands with the promise of a balanced proposition. Yet, after extensive road time, it’s clear that stripping away the top-tier “Avenir” dazzle leaves the ST variant with precious little to truly captivate.
A First Impression: The Aesthetic Paradox
Let’s start where most consumers do: visual appeal. For 2025, Buick has undeniably injected a much-needed shot of modern elegance into the Enclave. The exterior styling, drawing clear inspiration from the stunning Wildcat concept, is genuinely handsome. The sleeker lines, revamped grille, and contemporary lighting elements give it an undeniable presence on the road. It looks larger and more substantial than its predecessor, yet cleverly avoids the pitfalls of feeling overly ponderous in urban environments or parking lots. This aesthetic rejuvenation is a significant positive, signaling Buick’s intent to elevate its design language. In a market saturated with generic SUV silhouettes, the Enclave ST manages to stand out, at least initially, promising a premium experience that its design implies.
However, this visual promise quickly encounters a stark reality, particularly with the ST trim. While the exterior might hint at a sophisticated, upscale vehicle, the moment you step inside, the narrative shifts. The ST model comes exclusively with a monochrome black interior. Now, in some luxury vehicles, a well-executed dark interior can exude sophistication. Here, regrettably, it simply accentuates the areas where Buick’s commitment to premium materials falters. My eye, trained by years of dissecting automotive interiors, immediately spotted the hard plastics and inconsistent finishes that proliferate aft of the dashboard. While the primary touchpoints on the doors and upper dash fare acceptably, the overall cabin ambiance is far from what one expects from a vehicle pushing north of $60,000 in 2025. It feels less like a thoughtful design choice and more like a cost-cutting measure, creating a dissonance between the exterior’s aspirational lines and the interior’s somewhat pedestrian execution. This is a critical misstep in a highly competitive luxury SUV market where tactile quality and sensory experience are paramount.
Powertrain & Performance: A Shift Towards Efficiency, Not Excitement
Under the hood, the 2025 Enclave introduces a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine, replacing the outgoing V-6. This move aligns with a broader industry trend towards smaller, more efficient powertrains. From an engineering perspective, the turbo-four delivers a welcome boost in EPA fuel economy, an increasingly important metric for consumers in 2025 who are keenly aware of running costs. In terms of raw acceleration, the penalty compared to the V-6 is slight, almost imperceptible for daily driving duties. The power delivery is smooth and adequate, perfectly capable of merging onto highways or navigating suburban sprawl.
Yet, “adequate” is rarely a descriptor for a premium driving experience. The Enclave ST’s powertrain, while efficient, does little to stir the soul. The sound insulation is decent, preventing excessive engine noise from intruding, but there’s an undeniable lack of refinement in its character when pushed. This isn’t necessarily a flaw, but it reinforces the vehicle’s position as a functional family hauler rather than a dynamic driving machine. For those accustomed to the effortless power delivery and smooth growl of a six-cylinder or even an electrified powertrain found in comparable vehicles, the turbo-four might feel a touch uninspired. The driving experience, as a holistic package, is notably devoid of the poshness or inherent excitement that rivals often deliver, even at their base trims.
Infotainment & Driver Assistance: A Tale of Two Technologies
In 2025, technology is not just a feature; it’s a cornerstone of the modern automotive experience. Buick has made commendable strides in some areas, while falling surprisingly short in others. The centerpiece of the Enclave’s cabin is its large, curved screen, which seems to be a smart re-deployment of GM’s cutting-edge display technology, possibly sharing DNA with more opulent Cadillac offerings. This display is crisp, vibrant, and intuitive. The integrated Google Assistant works exceptionally well, offering seamless voice control for navigation, media, and various vehicle functions. The vision here is clear: drivers should rely on the car’s native OS for common applications like Spotify and Waze, reducing reliance on phone mirroring. While this approach offers a deeply integrated user experience, it does come with a caveat for Apple CarPlay enthusiasts, whose apps are relegated to a smaller window on the expansive screen. This might be a minor inconvenience for some, but it speaks to a deliberate design choice that prioritizes the car’s native system.
However, the technological narrative becomes muddled when we discuss driver assistance systems. Super Cruise, GM’s lauded hands-off-the-wheel system, is now available in a Buick, a significant win for safety and convenience. Having experienced Super Cruise extensively, I can attest to its cautious yet highly effective operation on selected mapped roads. It’s a sophisticated system that earned a 2025 MotorTrend Best Tech award for its reliability and thoughtful handoff protocols. This is where the Enclave shines, offering truly advanced semi-autonomous driving capabilities.
The glaring omission, however, is the complete lack of any lane centering capability when not on a Super Cruise-mapped road. This is a critical weakness in the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) 2025 landscape. Many similarly sized and priced SUVs, and indeed even more affordable ones, offer a basic lane centering function as standard, providing a valuable layer of driver support on any highway. The Enclave’s “hands-on” Super Cruise mode, found in Cadillac models, is conspicuously absent here. This strikes me as a short-sighted marketing or product planning decision, effectively placing the Enclave behind many competitors in terms of standard Automotive Safety Features SUV and driver convenience. It’s a dichotomy: world-class hands-free driving on mapped roads, but zero lane support elsewhere, leaving a significant gap in its Luxury SUV Technology offering.
Practicality, Ergonomics, and the Family Equation
From a purely functional standpoint, the Enclave does a decent job as a family-friendly SUV. The balance of second- and third-row room is commendable. The third row, while not limousine-like, is genuinely useful for children and even accommodating for non-confrontational adults on shorter journeys, a trait not all three-row SUVs can claim. Access to the third row is relatively easy. Cargo space with all seats deployed is reasonable, and the ease with which the rear seats fold flat at the touch of a button transforms the Enclave into a capable hauler, making weekend trips or hardware store runs a breeze.
Yet, even in functionality, some design choices raise eyebrows. The center console, for instance, looks and feels like an afterthought. Its design lacks the integrated sophistication and ergonomic thoughtfulness seen in many rivals. The storage solutions are adequate, but the overall aesthetic and material choices in this high-touch area detract from the perceived Premium Family Crossover experience. In a vehicle where families will spend countless hours, such details become glaring. This Automotive Interior Design Trends miss underscores the ST’s challenge in truly delivering on a premium promise.
Driving Dynamics: The Pursuit of Apathy
I’ve already touched on the powertrain, but the overall driving dynamics of the Enclave ST deserve a deeper dive. If I were to sum it up in a word, it would be “anodyne.” It drives. It steers. It stops. But it does so with a profound lack of character or engagement. The ride quality is generally compliant on smooth pavement, absorbing minor imperfections adequately. However, the ST model, lacking the upgraded active shocks found in the Avenir, can feel a bit unsettled over rougher surfaces, transmitting more road imperfections into the cabin than one might expect from a “premium” vehicle.
When attempting to inject some enthusiasm by changing the drive mode to Sport, the primary discernible effect is merely an unnaturally heavy steering feel, devoid of any genuine feedback or precision. It doesn’t tighten the chassis, sharpen throttle response dramatically, or imbue the Enclave with any sense of athletic prowess. Instead, it feels like an artificial weighting mechanism, leaving the driver no more connected to the road than before. In my experience with a wide array of Automotive Performance Metrics, a Sport mode should transform the vehicle’s character, not just its steering effort. The Enclave ST offers little of that transformative capability, solidifying its place as a comfortable but uninspiring cruiser.
The Value Proposition: Where the ST Falters
This brings us to the most critical aspect: the Value Proposition Premium SUV and Buick Enclave Price. Our test vehicle, the Enclave ST AWD, commanded an asking price just over $61,000. This is the point where the Enclave ST’s carefully constructed facade begins to crumble under scrutiny.
In the rapidly evolving Luxury SUV Market 2025, $60,000 to $65,000 puts you squarely in contention with some formidable players. For nearly the same money, or perhaps just a few thousand more, one could be looking at entry-level trims of genuine luxury contenders like the Acura MDX, Lexus RX, Volvo XC60/XC90, or even the Genesis GV70. These vehicles, even in their base configurations, often deliver a more cohesive premium experience, with superior material quality, more refined powertrains, and often more comprehensive ADAS suites.
More tellingly, the Enclave ST finds itself uncomfortably close in price to higher trims of well-regarded mass-market rivals. Chevrolet’s Traverse High Country, for instance, a direct sibling, offers comparable space, functionality, and in some aspects, even a more coherent interior design, often at a slightly lower or equivalent price point. Comparing the Enclave ST to the Hyundai Palisade or Kia Telluride, both of which offer exceptionally well-appointed interiors and a wealth of features at a more competitive price, further highlights the Buick’s struggle. The Palisade, in particular, often feels more upscale and offers a more engaging driving experience than the Enclave ST, even while being positioned as a non-luxury brand.
The fundamental issue is that without the extensive bells and whistles of the Avenir trim—which includes a panoramic roof, the aforementioned active shocks, and a more aesthetically pleasing interior with upgraded materials—the Enclave ST feels like a vehicle that’s trying too hard to be premium without fully committing to the execution. The Avenir model, while also facing stiff competition, at least offers a more justifiable argument for its mid-60s price tag. The ST, however, exists in a difficult no-man’s-land: too expensive and insufficiently premium to compete with true luxury, and not quite value-packed enough to dominate the upper echelons of the mainstream segment.
Conclusion: A Serviceable Servant, Not a Standout Star
After spending considerable time with the 2025 Buick Enclave ST AWD, my assessment is clear: it’s a good, decent, and serviceable family SUV. It handles its primary function of transporting families with reasonable comfort and practicality. The exterior styling is genuinely attractive, and Super Cruise is a technological highlight. However, its significant shortcomings in interior material quality, a less-than-inspiring driving experience, and critically, the absence of basic lane centering outside of Super Cruise-mapped roads, combine to create a lukewarm impression.
In a Competitive SUV Analysis of the 2025 market, the Enclave ST struggles to carve out a compelling niche for itself. It feels like a missed opportunity for Buick to truly cement its repositioning as a premium brand. The ST trim, in particular, fails to deliver the “razzle” or “dazzle” that its price point and external aesthetics imply. It’s a vehicle that performs its intended function adequately, but it simply doesn’t stand out in a world brimming with truly exceptional options. For discerning buyers in 2025, the Buick Enclave ST AWD remains a somewhat forgettable proposition, overshadowed by rivals that offer either more luxury, more technology, or simply more value for their dollar.
Are you navigating the complex choices of the 2025 SUV market? What features are non-negotiable for your next family vehicle, and what truly defines “premium” for you? Share your insights and experiences below, or reach out to explore how current automotive trends can shape your next driving adventure.
